Download PDF of Syllabus - Department of Geography - Texas A&M ...

11/14 Politics in Texas Texas Chapter 7
Texas Almanac Elections, pp 382-411
11/21 The Economy(ies) of Texas–Earning a Living Activity 4: Visualizing Texas Geography
The Churn
Texas Almanac Agriculture, pp 624-42,
Business, pp 567-68; 574-5
11/30 Workbook Activity 4 due. Movie Research Opportunity Day (see Activity 5)
12/7 No class but Workbook Activity 5 due.
Self Study Urban Texas–Cities and
the Future
Urban Texas Chapter 1
On-line self-paced learning
12/8 Test II, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Bring Scantron (Test & Measurement) and Bluebook. Will include
information from ARGOT activities, readings and lecture materials since last test.
Course Requirements
1. Two examinations (40% of your grade).
The exams will cover class lectures, readings on Electronic Reserve, and knowledge and skills gained from
completing the ARGOT activities and readings. The tests are not cumulative except for questions from
ARGOT.
2. Activities and Readings in the Geography of Texas (ARGOT) activities (50% of your grade).
How much do you know and can do with geography? These activities are designed to give you hands-on
experience in discovering more about the topics discussed in class. Take time to do well on these activities.
Quality is important. You may wish to work with a study group to ensure accuracy and completeness but be
sure the work you submit is your OWN. Check university regulations regarding plagiarism at
http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor. Each activity will count equally and be graded using a scoring rubric.
The five projects you will complete are:
Activity 1: Climate Graphs of Texas
Activity 2: Population Pyramids of Texas
Activity 3: Ethnicity in Texas
Activity 4: Visualizing Texas Geography
Activity 5: Cinematic Views of Texas
Descriptions of each activity and complete directions are available at
http://geog.tamu.edu/~sbednarz/texashonors/argot.html
3. Participation in the class seminar discussions (10% of your grade). This semester you will be
expected to read one or two Texas newspapers on a daily basis and be prepared to discuss current trends
and events in the context of the class topics and discussions. In addition, you should be prepared to ask and
answer questions seminar style about the assigned readings.
Final grades are awarded by examining the distribution of grades at the end of the semester.
The usual grade distribution is approximately:
12-15% A's
30-35% B's & 30-35% C's
12-15% D's and/or F's
4. Attend class.
It is imperative that you attend class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge necessary to
succeed in this course. This is an inquiry class. The nature of your questions and participation are
important and will influence your grade. For each absence, please submit a written explanation (excused